My Yard List: Why Stop At 100?

Here I was, all excited to get to species number one hundred on my yard list. I keep track of the birds actually in the yard, as well as those seen from the yard, as in flying over (F).

This is a rather bizarre list, as we live in the foothills between the boreal forest and the prairie grasslands, and birds come from both ecozones. We live a block from the Bow River, which swans, cranes and other birds use as a road map during migration.

My yard has conifers, deciduous trees, fruiting shrubs, 11 birdfeeders, and 3 birdbaths. Even with all this, there is absolutely no explanation for the hooded warbler, who should have been in Florida for the 3 autumn months he was here in 2004.

I was so sure I was carefully updating the list as birds appeared so that the numbers were correct. I had even written a one-hundredth-bird-in-the-yard blog post in my head.

Sigh. Meet yard bird #102.

Swainson's Thrush

Apparently I wasn’t as meticulous as I thought. It turns out I forgot to add the white-throated and fox sparrows that showed up last year.

Fox Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

And before I could even get this post written, a least flycatcher hopped onto the yard list at #103, and no, I don’t have a picture of it. Trying to capture a tiny flycatcher with a point-and-shoot camera is my definition of insanity…

So here’s the list as it now stands. With this post written, I’m heading onto the back deck to see if I can add to it!

American White Pelican (F)

Great Blue Heron (F)

Trumpeter Swan (F)

Canada Goose (F)

American Wigeon (F)

Mallard (F)

Common Goldeneye (F)

Osprey (F)

Bald Eagle (F)

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk (F)

Red-tailed Hawk (F)

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon (F)

Prairie Falcon (F)

Chukar

Sandhill Crane (F)

Franklin’s Gull (F)

Ring-billed Gull (F)

California Gull (F)

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Budgerigar (yes I know, but it was flying around the neighborhood for months)

Why indeed? Well, those three species are an early start on your way to 200 yard birds.

Receive Posts via Email

Email Address

Boreal Birds Need Half

Billions of migratory birds flock to North America's boreal forest each spring to breed over the summer. Many of the 325+ bird species that breed there are reliant on this vast forest, and now they need our help. Click the image to add your name to the Boreal Birds Need Half endorsement to ensure these birds have a home to return to for generations to come.

Attn Canada Birders

We're looking for bird bloggers from across Canada to join this multi-author blog. If you would like to spread the word on birds in your area by doing one post with photos each month, please email birdcanada at gmail.com